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Look for
authenticity
behind the hype by
Robin Wheeler, November 2005
What do you look for when booking in a motivational speaker? When planning a function, choosing the right person to fill that critical speaker’s slot is a strategic decision. First, you need a clear sense of what the purpose of the event is. This will determine whether you are looking for a celebrity, an entertainer, or a business specialist with a set of tools to deliver the keynote address. Second, you need to know some of the choices available to you. Paging through the annual advertising booklets on speakers can be more taxing than helpful with so many people in them telling you how superlative they are. Word of mouth or sustained tracking of someone is probably a preferable option. Regardless
of the occasion, most companies are looking
for a speaker who will add value to the business in the immediate and
long term
in addition to contributing to making the event a success. Such
professionals
have the following qualities:
1. They are not just motivational speakers Unfortunately,
the motivational speaking circuit has a
less than favourable reputation. This has arisen from characters with
more hype
than value to sell putting people off. For this reason, top specialists
tend
not to brand themselves as “motivational” speakers but rather as
consultants,
trainers, executive coaches or professional speakers. They
have a value-based brand that is applied to
speaking, not just a speaking brand. To make this distinction is
sometimes
difficult because you need to gauge the authenticity behind the hype.
2. They have a strong, tried-and-tested message Good
speakers have usually been in business for some
time and have the benefit of years of experience in getting results
through
people. This is not an easy thing to deliver, and the top professionals
have
found and developed their unique way of doing it.
Generally, price is linked to performance. You could find someone excellent for a good rate or end up with someone rather mediocre for an inflated fee, but expect to pay for what you get. A mentor of mine once taught me to charge a rate that is “fair but not cheap”, which is a great guide for both parties in the business deal. Remember, the quality speakers have invested much money and effort into getting to where they are, and command professional rates because of the weight behind their words and their ability to add value. 3. They have stage skills Being on
stage is an art and a craft, a talent and a
skill. Eloquence, rapport and technical ability are the obvious
characteristics
of a professional speaker, and charisma helps, too.
Stage
skills alone are not enough, but combined with
the two qualities above they make for a valuable and memorable
experience for
the audience.
Good
speakers love what they do, are humbled by the
opportunity and responsibility of their position in front of an
audience, have
a powerful and valuable truth to convey and a compelling way of
delivering it.
There is something about being an icon of success through entertaining, uplifting and teaching others that appeals to almost everybody. If developing into a speaker appeals to you, become the three qualities of the consummate professional above. If
you are looking to book
a speaker for your company conference, the three pointers will work
equally
well in guiding your choice of the right person.
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